The driver for this demo is aluminum wiring. To put in a new kitchen and safely power Steven’s computers and the new HVAC and tankless water systems, we have to install copper wiring. Copper does not cohabit well with aluminum. You can do it with dongles, but aluminum is fragile and cracks as it heats and cools. After 60 years of this, it is suspect. So we have to take it all out. That means taking down the walls and cabinets and ceilings — everything.
Along the way, that gives us the ability to find and remove suspect plumbing, insulation, infestations, bad lumber and all the other evils spawned by a 1968 house.
Let me introduce you to what Ron Dahlke and his crew have been up to.
The view to the family room from the kitchen. One goal is to take down that wall to create a great room that unifies the two rooms.
The kitchen sink used to live here.
Looking into the kitchen as the Ranserve crew shovels out drywall.
Supervised by Avery Watson at Independence Title, Mark Rehberg, president of Ranserve, right, arm in sling, and Jacquela, left, sign the AIA remodeling contract. Steven is at the back taking this photo.
Ahead of this, we spent a couple of days working with the lawyers — Rose Cohen for Ranserve and David Sewell for the Leons — tweaking the contract, right up to the signing, with Mark and I working through last-second fixes by sending pdf files and text messages back and forth to his office, to David, with phone calls, and to the Independence Title printer.
Deep breath. It’s done. Now we put hammer to nail.
Received draft of construction contract from Ranserve. Reviewing with lawyer. There’s a dumpster coming soon. And a remodeled house to move into at the end of this adventure.
Meeting at Ranserve to review and revise construction plans and projected budget. Everyone left with homework to do. From left, Brett Grinkmeyer, architect; Mark Rehburg, president of Ranserve; Michelle Hastings, estimator and budget whip at Ranserve.
